Unopened Parachute

Ready:

But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” -- Matthew 7:26-27 NLT

Set:

An athlete who is not obedient to his or her coach is likely to have a really short and unsuccessful career in sports. He or she will not play on a good team for a long time or reach any great results. 

It’s not about his or her attention on theory, lessons, or diligence in keeping notes. 

A friend of mine likes skydiving. It is a matter of life and death for him to not only take a parachute but to be able to open it at the right moment. An unopened parachute is useless, and it adds weight to the fall, making your speed much higher and the blow if you hit the ground, a tree, or something else much harder.

An unopened parachute is a symbol of unused knowledge. It’s not about accumulating your knowledge but about using them at the right moment. There is even more responsibility on a person who listens to the Word of God but doesn’t use it. Reading the Bible and visiting a church is like a new spiritual height that we reach. Jumping out of a plane and opening your parachute is like practical usage of the knowledge we’ve got from reading and listening. Or in other words, it represents “a leap of faith.” If we don’t use spiritual principles practically, it looks as miserable as not following your coach’s guidance, and it leads you down a dark path of problems.

Embodiment and practical usage of God’s Word is always an exciting adventure, and even skydiving is nothing compared to it!

Go:

1. What brings you more delight: the time when you read the Bible and visit your church or time when you practically use your knowledge? 
2. Which team would you really like to coach more: the one with talent but undisciplined players, or the one with hardworking and obedient players? 

Workout:

Psalm 1; Matthew 7:21-27; James 1:22-25

Overtime:

“God, please help me to be not only attentive to Your Word but also to embody it in my everyday life, Amen."

Oleg Pavlishchuk